Artist Info:Discography Album length: 10 tracks: 35 minutes, 54 seconds Street Date: June 21, 2005
After several years of successful touring for a huge following, As Cities
Burn finally emerges with their first full-length album, Son I Loved You At
Your Darkest. Melodic and angsty, full of passion and rage, it is a debut
that can only be described as beautiful. They are lumped in with the
hardcore and post-hardcore crowd, but their songwriting abilities leave most
others far behind.
Starting with an anguished scream and ending with a quiet, boyish voice, Son
I Loved You At Your Darkest's powerful lyrics cut to the heart. While many
metal bands use hard guitars and pounding drums to incessantly batter
listeners, As Cities Burn gracefully melds the harsh with the soft and
melodic.
Songs like "The Widow," about a drug-addict father abandoning his family, are
so emotionally powerful and poignantly written, you can almost miss the
beauty of the music itself. If this track fails to stir sorrow within you,
you should go to the doctor and have an x-ray, because it's quite possible
that you no longer have a soul. However, this song isn't special in that
every track is prosaic and heartfelt. These lads have passion driving them,
and it shows, as does their love of the Lord and the pain that sometimes
follows.
Musically, they don't overuse their distortion pedals or power chords.
There's plenty of melody and singing here. Drummers of the anti-4/4
persuasion will enjoy the unique rhythms and minimalist drums in spots.
Fans of certain secular bands named after days of the week will listen to As
Cities Burn and start using their other CD's for Frisbees.
If forced to find something to complain about, perhaps shorter song titles
so that the entire track name could fit in a playlist window without being
cut off. Other than that, As Cities Burn has arrived in a big way and Son I
Loved You At Your Darkest will leave fans wanting more.
If you buy one hardcore album this year, buy this one.
- Review date: 06/26/05, written by Sean Lex
Artist Info:Discography Record Label:Solid State Records Album length: 10 tracks, 35 minutes and 54 seconds
Street Date: June 21, 2005
Artist Info: 
